


Determined to Slip This Skin

by coreopsis



Category: Alkaline Trio (Band), Bandom
Genre: Animal Transformation, M/M, Magic, RPS - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-04
Updated: 2010-07-04
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:31:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coreopsis/pseuds/coreopsis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt gets turned into a cat--through no fault of his own, honest!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Determined to Slip This Skin

**Author's Note:**

> I asked for writing prompts in my lj and villiagegreen asked for "a magical/alien/science mishap has lead to matt having one hell of a bodily change (genderswap/de-aging/now-a-cat/Incorporeal/etc), bob steps up to the plate and takes care of matt till it wears off/finds a cure/bob smites something. matt is so touched that it ends in schmoopy cuddly sex."

"Hey, watch out," is the last thing Matt says to a little old lady he bumps into before he gets really dizzy, a bright shattering pain explodes in his head, and he's on the ground. He groans a string of expletives that would make even Bob blush, but all he hears is a cat meowing somewhere close. He lifts his head and looks around and all he sees are feet walking by--a pair of boots almost step on him before he skitters out of the way.

And what the hell? Since when can he skitter? Under a table? On four fucking feet. Matt spins around and sees a fuzzy pale orange tail that seems to be attached to him and realizes that meowing he heard came from his own mouth. That old lady he bumped into must have turned him into a motherfucking cat. And as upsetting as that realization is, it's kind of cool too.

Once he works out how to get his new legs all coordinated, he sets off through the crowded flea market looking for Bob. He remembers Bob saying something about a stall with some stereo equipment he wanted to check out so he heads in that direction.

By the time he finds Bob, Matt has dodged two little kids that tried to grab him, a small yappy dog that wanted to bite him, and a dropped ice cream cone that would have gotten his fur all sticky and is feeling pretty confident that he's got this whole cat thing under control. He runs up to Bob and rubs against his ankle.

"Go away," Bob says without even looking down at him and gently nudges Matt with his foot. Matt tries again, winding between Bob's feet and purring like a chainsaw. Bob nudges him again and keeps looking at whatever's so much more interesting than Matt--who is a cat now, thank you very much.

Matt plops his butt down on Bob's shoe, digs his front claws into Bob's jeans, tilts his head back and lets out a distressed howl that raises the hairs on the back of his own neck. He's kind of proud of it, especially when Bob immediately kneels down and starts petting him. "Aww, what's the matter, buddy? Did you lose your human?"

Matt loosens his claws from Bob's pantleg so he can rub his face against any part of Bob he can reach. It feels really good to smooth his whiskers down against Bob's sleeve and he's purring so loud he almost doesn't hear Bob say, "Lets go see who you belong to."

He picks Matt up and, holy shit, he's high up off the ground. Matt says, "I belong to you, you idiot, fuck me, the ground is far away, hold on tight, oh my God, I don't like this." But all that comes out is a pitiful mewling that is, frankly, embarrassing for a cat of Matt's stature.

"It's okay now. I've got you," Bob says softly and Matt as a human has never heard him sound so sweet and gentle and it's doing something really weird to Matt's insides. He feels all mushy and warm and like he really just wants to curl up in Bob's arms and snuggle there for a while. He shakes it off, though, because he's a _cat_ and they have to fix this shit right now. He can't exactly go back into the studio next week if he can't sing or even hold his guitar, much less play it.

Hooking his claws into the front of Bob's hoodie, Matt stretches up and bumps Bob's chin with his head. He stares up at Bob's face and meows insistently. Bob looks down with a smile that fades into confusion. He stops walking and fiddles with something in the thick long fur around Matt's neck for a moment, then he pulls back his hand and he's holding Matt's necklace. He stares at the necklace and then down at Matt. "No--you--what? How did you get this? Where's Matt?"

Matt rolls his eyes because he. is. a. cat. How does Bob expect him to answer? He meows and is impressed with how much of his annoyance comes through without words. Bob's eyes widen and he says, "Holy shit, I know that look, you bastard." He raises Matt up in front of his face and whispers frantically, "You turned yourself into a cat? How the hell did you do that?"

Matt sighs and shrugs--and, wow, that feels _weird_ because all his muscles and bones seem to move differently now. He didn't do it to himself, but he can't exactly tell Bob about the old lady. Suddenly exhausted by the whole experience and saddened by the fact that he'll probably be stuck this way forever, he goes all boneless and floppy in Bob's hands. Bob cuddles him against his chest and Matt lets out a little purr. This is nice, comfy even. Bob is very careful to support Matt's tummy and his back legs with hands that are huge and steady on Matt's small body. Matt rubs his face against Bob's hoodie until his scent mingles with Bob's and thinks maybe this isn't so bad after all.

"I don't know what to do," Bob confesses in a near whisper, frowning at Matt sadly. Matt licks his hand in what he hopes is a reassuring way and then stiffens.

"Hey, there she is, that's her!" he cries, but Bob looks down at him instead of the old lady Matt is staring at. Bob finally clues in and follows Matt's gaze and he asks, "Did that old woman do something to you?"

Matt meows and nods his head and Bob's eyes narrow as he stalks over to her. Apparently realizing that politeness might be the way to go to avoid being turned into a cat himself, he clears his throat and says, "Excuse me, ma'am, I know this will sound strange, but did you by chance turn a guy into a cat a little while ago?"

"He was rude," the old lady says sharply. "He'll turn back tomorrow. Maybe he'll learn a lesson."

"I wasn't rude," Matt protests and Bob smooths a fingertip over his forehead.

"Yes, you were," the old lady hisses at him before turning and walking away.

"I wasn't rude, Bob, I swear." Bob doesn't look like he understands what Matt is saying so Matt just sighs and flops back down across Bob's forearm. "Might as well take me home."

***

Bob stands in the kitchen and looks a little lost. "What the hell am I gonna feed you? Cats can't be vegan or they'll die."

"If you try to feed me tuna, I will shred every one of your favorite shirts." Matt gives Bob his fiercest look, and Bob's expression softens and for a second Matt thinks Bob is going to purr too, which would be utterly hilarious.

"Chill out, okay? I'm not rushing out to buy you some Fancy Feast. Maybe you'll be all right for a day or two, but if this lasts much longer we're going to have to have a serious talk." Bob sets Matt down and fixes him a bowl of water before he goes and digs around in the refrigerator. Matt amuses himself with flicking water all over the kitchen floor until Bob comes back and sets a small bowl of leftover stir-fry down in front of him. Matt sniffs it and takes a tentative bite of tofu. He turns up his nose and fixes Bob with a haughty look that comes oddly natural to him now, until Bob laughs and says, "Okay, okay, I'll heat it up."

"Make sure it's not too hot," Matt says and settles down to lick his balls. This cat thing is really, really not all that bad. He discovered the joys of ball-licking on the drive home and is determined to fit in as much as he can before he turns human again.

"You little perv," Bob says fondly as he sets the bowl of now-warm food down. "By the way, you're cleaning the floor when you're human again. Don't think I didn't notice the mess you're making over here."

Matt eats his dinner and ignores Bob. Bob sits down at the table with a sandwich and watches Matt like he's the best TV show ever. To reward Bob for his devotion, Matt licks his junk some more when he's done eating.

Eventually, the call of nature gets too strong to ignore and Matt heads off to the bathroom before remembering he probably can't reach the toilet. He stares up at it in annoyance and then jumps into the bathtub just as Bob walks into the room.

"Oh no, you don't," Bob says, grabbing Matt around the waist and lifting him before he can even assume the position. He takes him outside and drops him into the weedy flowerbed left over from the previous owners and says, "Don't you have some kind of dig and cover instincts now?"

Matt pointedly goes behind a big clump of weeds to do his business in private and he doesn't cover it up because fuck you, Bob. If he has to piss in the middle of the night, it's going straight in one of Bob's shoes--maybe in his favorite sneakers he got in Japan.

But then Bob picks him up, cuddles him to his chest, and rubs his chin on the top of Matt's head during the walk back inside and Matt forgives him for making Matt go outside like some kind of animal.

***

Eventually they settle down in the living room with **The Shining** playing on the TV. Bob lies on his back on the sofa and Matt drapes himself across Bob's lap. Matt tries to watch the movie because it's one of his favorites but he feels kind of restless and strange. He gets the pressing idea that there's something in the hallway that needs his attention, so he jumps down and goes to look. He doesn't find anything except a dustball under the little table by the door, so he wanders back into the living room and jumps up on Bob. He bats around the strings on Bob's hoodie for awhile until he gets bored and stalks up Bob's arm and starts chewing on the ends of his hair. Bob laughs and half-heartedly bats a hand at him so Matt attacks his fingers, keeping his claws sheathed to show he's just playing. He catches Bob's index finger between his paws and gnaws on the end, scraping his teeth against the callused skin and purring his head off. He kind of wants to thank the old lady because this is the most fun he's had in a while. Everything seems so much less complicated now. Matt's not a guy with a lot of inhibitions, but he's got the normal amount of reticence and personal issues when it comes to the kind of emotional intimacy he finds himself inching toward with Bob. But now he finds himself wanting to let it all go and just...be.

"Ready for bed?" Bob asks eventually and Matt crawls up to his shoulder and snuggles inside the neck of his hoodie, pressing his nose against Bob's throat. Bob laughs and says, "Your whiskers tickle."

"Your beard does too," Matt says, wishing Bob could understand him. "But I like it on my bare skin. When I'm human. Fuck."

Bob sets him on the bed and disappears into the bathroom for a few minutes. When he comes back out dressed in sleep pants and a loose t-shirt, he bends down to Matt's level and says, "Do you need to go out again?"

Matt nods and Bob looks delighted that there's an answer he can understand. He picks up Matt gently and says, "Don't worry. I won't let the raccoons get you."

Matt stiffens because he'd forgotten the raccoons that got in the trash a few nights ago. Those things must have been huge to be able to knock the can over, and Matt is just a little cat. Bob pets him and makes cooing noises that Matt is going to tease him about _forever_, providing of course that the giant mutant raccoons don't eat him.

When Bob lets him down into the flower bed, Matt takes the fastest piss ever and runs back to Bob, climbing his leg to the knee before Bob reaches down and lifts him into his arms. "Bob, I think I hear them coming," Matt says, insistently digging his claws into Bob's sleeve as rustling sounds come from the bushes at the back of the yard. "The raccoons, Bob, the raccoons are out there!"

"I've got you, Matt," Bob says softly and Matt instantly relaxes because Bob could totally kick some raccoon ass if need be. When they get back inside, he curls up on his pillow, but that doesn't feel right so he burrows under the covers and fits himself into the crook of Bob's knees. It's perfect, nice and warm and dark. He drifts off to sleep and dreams of chasing a little stuffed mouse with a bell in it across the living room floor.

***

Matt wakes up to Bob's strained voice saying, "Matt, could you please get off my dick? You're kind of heavy."

Matt stretches all his limbs and one of his hands flops across Bob's face.

Hey, wait, _hands_. "I'm back," he says, stunned and pleased and confused. His voice is rough and husky and kind of hurts his throat, but he's forming words and that's what counts.

"Yeah, and you're really fucking heavy," Bob says, pushing at his shoulder, and Matt realizes he's lying right across Bob's crotch. Bob's morning erection is digging into Matt's hipbone and vice versa, making Bob's discomfort understandable. Matt's shifts over until he's on the mattress, but still pressed up against Bob's side.

He curves around Bob's body and rests his head on Bob's shoulder. Bob wraps his arms around Matt and rakes his fingers through Matt's hair. "Welcome back."

"That was fucking weird," Matt says contemplatively and Bob huffs out a nearly silent laugh. Matt works a hand inside Bob's sleep pants and curls his hand around Bob's cock. "I missed this."

"It was only one night," Bob says, but he's rubbing his hands all over Matt's bare skin like he feels the same.

"I lo--" Matt stops when he realizes what he was about to say. The feeling welling up in his chest won't be silenced, though, so he kisses Bob instead, soft and slow and with a sweetness that might seem to be unlike him, but is just a very deeply held part that Bob hasn't seen yet.

Bob makes a quiet sound and kisses Matt back with a solemnity that makes Matt want to purr and rub his face on Bob's chest. He smiles against Bob's mouth as he realizes he might still have a bit of the cat left in him. Bob moves his mouth away and says, "What?"

Matt just smiles and slides his fingers up and down Bob's cock a little faster. Bob closes his eyes and says, "Yeah, okay, maybe I missed this too."

"Damn right you did," Matt whispers against Bob's shoulder, pulling at Bob's t-shirt with his free hand. "Take this off so I can feel you all over."

Matt takes his hand out of Bob's pants so Bob can get undressed and then he's wrapping himself around Bob again, snuggling close and shoving his face against Bob's neck so he can lick at his skin. He tastes so good, all warmth and sleep-sweat and _Bob_.

Moaning a little, Bob curves one hand on Matt's ass and gets his other on Matt's cock. Matt doesn't know which to arch into first, so he bites Bob's neck, sucks hard enough to leave a mark and feels fiercely proud that it'll be above his collar where people can see it.

Matt tilts his head down so he can watch Bob's hand on his cock and watch his own move on Bob's. They are so completely together and in synch that his heart kind of stutters in his chest and he has to bite down on those words, those stupid fucking words that will scare off Bob, the words pushing up the back of his throat, settling on his tongue like burnt sugar.

He groans wordless and helpless when he comes and a minute or two later Bob follows, stiff and silent.

After a moment, Bob lets out his breath and turns his head to look Matt in the eye. Matt watches him swallow hard and blink a couple times before he speaks. "I...you...I think--"

Matt feels a sense of peace come over him, like it's all right and inevitable and he's got no reason to be afraid. He cuts Bob off and says, "I love you, Bob. There, I fucking said it."

"That's-- Yeah. I love you too," Bob says and squeezes Matt tight in his arms. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"That's because you're kind of awesome, Bob Bryar." Matt wraps his arms around Bob's middle and squeezes him back. "Even when your boyfriend randomly turns into a cat."

"Yeah, about that..." Bob looks pained as he says, "Could you please be nice to magical old ladies you meet in flea markets from now on? Who knows what the next one'll do to you."

"Okay. I'll be a regular little boy scout," Matt says and kisses Bob with all the love in his heart.

That takes quite awhile.

 

The end.


End file.
